NEW ORLEANS -- It's a marvelously ugly beast, with spiked and ridged armor, a sharply hooked beak, a fishing lure in its mouth and a nasty bite. But the alligator snapping turtle's hard shell holds ...

Some historians have suggested the giant turtle reported in 1948 was an alligator snapping turtle, pictured here. Other experts disagree with this theory. Illustration by Emily Lankiewicz / DeAgostini ...

This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in a press release that a prehistoric species of turtle native to Florida is officially a federally threatened species under the Endangered ...

Alligator snapping turtles, like the one seen in this file photo, were classified as endangered in Kansas in 1974. The state has begun a reintroduction program to bring the creatures back to Kansas ...